Saigon calls for vigilante spirit to fight rising crime

A still image captured from video footage of a robber and his victim in an attack in district 10 on May 17 2016

The city's party chief has asked local residents to join anti-crime efforts with the police by offering rewards with plans to revive a legendary community watch group.

“We cannot expect to completely crack down on criminal activities within a few days or months, but once we have the city's residents on our side, criminals will feel like they are being hunted everywhere they go,” said Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City's Communist Party Dinh La Thang at a meeting yesterday.

According to police, 1,173 crimes were committed in the city over the last three months. Undercover police arrested 500 suspects in that time, including 99 muggers and 169 pickpockets. The flying squad also pulled over 2,000 individuals, confiscating knives, stun guns, cudgels and heroin.

Police plan to re-enforce patrols in high-risk areas and are preparing to deploy a community watch task force made up of local residents.

Police chief Le Dong Phong admitted that the local overall crime rate is still high, with more criminal gangs from other provinces moving to the city and networking to operate shady businesses such as pawnshops, bars and black market credit.

The city's Party chief has asked the police to find out why the crime rate is still high despite tougher measures to prevent criminal activities.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang (R) in the meeting with Department of Police. Photo by VnExpress/A.X

Ho Chi Minh City has been tightening its grip on crime. In February, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong even threatened to remove district leaders from their positions if they were unable to cut the crime rates in areas under their management.